Paralysed Kings
by doodlenoodle
Summary: One jutsu has taken everything from him. His dream. His life. His future. He is forced to live day to day with this curse. This weakness. This god damned chair with wheels. NaruSaku.
1. Chapter 1

_no, i do not own naruto. _

_but, i would like to thank systatcism and kyuubi sakura and naruto for betaing.  
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_Paralysed Kings_

**: Chapter One :**

:

In the secluded forests that lined the edges of Wind Country, far from the borders of his own village, Uzumaki Naruto was on a mission. His official orders were to track and apprehend the missing-nin Uchiha Sasuke. Upon capture of the Uchiha, Naruto was to return to Konoha with him—dead or alive.

Naruto had gladly accepted the mission, not even bothering to read the entire description. He was far more concerned with the freedom this mission brought—he hadn't been away from his desk in months. It felt amazing to be out and about again, to get away from the tedious chores that came with his position as Konoha's village leader.

No more forms to sign, or boring council meetings to attend—no more listening to old fogies ramble on and on about economic stresses and political appearances; he was free, if only for a little while.

But when he finally _did_ read the fine print, he knew he'd made a mistake. He wished that the purpose of this mission wasn't so sinister a prospect, and it was with a heavy heart that Naruto finally located his target, sequestered within a desolate little clearing.

Ensuring that his chakra was masked, Naruto waited patiently in the shadows of the trees until he was positive the coast was clear. He warily left the safety of his camouflaged spot and crept forward until he reached the fringe of the clearing, his crouching form still obscured by a length of shrubbery.

He sent out a short but undetectable pulse of chakra to learn the basic layout of the clearing. He was pleased to find that it had fairly flat ground with a few boulders scattered amongst tall grass, which could possibly serve as shields from devastating ninjutsu.

A second pulse showed him a number of tall oaks that formed a thick ring around the glade, ensuring that the fight would at least be somewhat contained. It was a perfect arena for their impending showdown because he _knew_ there was no way that the Uchiha go down without a fight.

Moving even closer to the ground, Naruto slinked through the dense foliage to find the best vantage point. Eventually, he found himself concealed by a rather painful looking thorn bush and he struggled to observe Sasuke and maintain his balance. Like hell he was willing to face plant into that bush.

However, the Uchiha appeared to be rather preoccupied battling another person.

Unable to get any closer without giving himself away, Naruto sent out another feeler. Feedback revealed a rather strong signature that was rapidly draining; it wouldn't be too much longer before the fight finally came to a close. If he squinted, he was just barely able to make out the features of the other ninja–and if his memory of the Bingo Book served him right, then the opponent was, in fact, another missing-nin. Before he could decide whether or not to intervene, Sasuke dealt the final blow.

He smiled grimly as he recognized Sasuke's signature move: Chidori. It was a technique that Kakashi, his former sensei, had taught the Uchiha—a skill gained in Konoha that he never would have learned anywhere else. And yet, Sasuke's greed and laziness was so strong that he betrayed his village and sought power elsewhere. Naruto shook his head to clear the haze of old memories and reminded himself of his mission, and when Naruto saw his opening, he took it.

Springing up seconds before the dead ninja hit the ground, Naruto leapt up over the thorn bush, landing easily, and slowly stalked towards the Uchiha. His sudden movement drew Sasuke's attention from his position on the other end of the clearing.

Springing up seconds before the dead ninja hit the ground, Naruto leapt up over the thorn bush, landing easily, and slowly stalked towards the Uchiha. His sudden movement drew Sasuke's attention from his position on the other end of the clearing.

Even though Sasuke remained impassive, Naruto could tell that the Uchiha was genuinely surprised to see him. The blond had learned to read Sasuke by his eyes, experience gained in the precious few months that he, Sasuke, and Sakura, their other teammate, had spent together as Team Seven.

It was obvious that Sasuke regarded Naruto as a threat—the Sharingan's three black tomoe were spinning wildly in each of the Uchiha's eyes. Sasuke shifted stances, ready to perform a lethal Katon jutsu the instant Naruto got to close for his liking; it didn't faze Naruto in the slightest.

He continued to move forward until he stood nearly twenty feet away from Sasuke. Naruto waited in silence for Sasuke to relax and realize that he wasn't going to do anything just yet. Sasuke eventually turned his attention back to his sword and continued to clean the blade of the blood from the man whose headless corpse lay on the forest floor. When Sasuke finished and re-sheathed his sword, he raised his head to meet the blond's stare dead-on.

Blue and red eyes met.

Both men remained motionless, each measuring the changes in the other since they last met in battle.

Naruto stood proud and tall, refusing to flinch under the Uchiha's odious scarlet glare. He would not be intimidated by a kekkai genkai, not even one as powerful as the Sharingan.

Though Sasuke wasn't the least bit impressed by Naruto's bravado, he was surprised to see robe wrapped around the blond's shoulders; kage robes. They were, of course, dyed an offensively bright orange, a color that Naruto had always favoured. He supposed that some things were just too predictable.

It was the robes that made Sasuke realize that the Naruto's looks were not the only thing that had changed over the years. Memories from past battles and encounters flashed across his mind, highlighting the jinchuuriki's ever-increasing strength.

'_No_,' he thought to himself. But as much as he wished to deny it, the robes were an undeniable confirmation of the blond's immense improvement. Sasuke couldn't afford to underestimate him.

At the same time, Naruto was conducting his own analysis of the Uchiha. As his eyes roamed, he couldn't help mentally chuckle at the ridiculously large, purple bow used to tie Sasuke's kimono shut, a vestige of his time with Orochimaru. Naruto couldn't fathom why the hell he would even bother to maintain the thing as a part of his wardrobe after all these years.

They both appeared to be the same height now and Naruto was startled at how much Sasuke resembled his elder brother; the younger Uchiha even had similar stress lines across the undersides of his eyes, just as Itachi once had.

He knew that Sasuke was formidable, especially after the Uchiha had so easily dispatched his earlier foe. The fight between them wouldn't be easy, but Naruto had a mission to complete and he couldn't afford to back down now.

As the silence between the two men stretched on, Naruto grew antsy. His muscles quivered in anticipation of a fight and his fingers itched to form hand seals. Sick of waiting and simply wanting to get this confrontation over with, Naruto dared to break eye contact and moved a few steps closer. Finally, he opened his mouth and broke the fragile quiet.

"Teme," Naruto greeted, his face remaining impassive. His cerulean eyes, usually brimming with joy, were now cold blue steel. His cheerful demeanour was pushed aside and he immersed himself into his role as Hokage, a leader dealing with a threat to his village. His gaze was unwavering as he unflinchingly met a pair of onyx orbs that glared back at him with absolute contempt.

"Dobe," Sasuke replied, titling his head in acknowledgement.

Naruto inhaled sharply when he heard that memorable nickname—that ever-familiar tone of voice that Sasuke used... it was that voice that disarmed him, that made him drop the facade he swore that he'd maintain under all circumstances. As the tension left the muscles of his face, Naruto looked at the man he, even now, considered to be his best friend.

Naruto felt his heart clench uncomfortably; he knew what was coming, what he was going to have to do to the man. He clenched his fists at the thought.

Sasuke caught the action and slid his hand down to his sword strapped to his. He was coiled and ready to strike.

His eyes followed the smooth movement, and in response, he raised his hands to the back of his head and laced his fingers together, the picture of utter contentment. Just as predicted, Sasuke tightened his grip further around the hilt.

He was so easy to rile.

Despite years spent apart from each other and receiving vastly different educations, some things never changed. The Uchiha always had to be one step ahead.

But he'd taunted the Uchiha enough; aware that his opponent was more paranoid than ever, Naruto made a point of slowly lowering his hands and holding them out to his side, indicating that he meant no harm—for the moment.

"Teme," he said again. He took a careful step forward before continuing, "I want to talk first."

Perhaps it was an effort to stall, perhaps not. There was a part of Naruto, though, that still thought he could talk Sasuke out of this madness—a foolish venture and one that had never worked before, but he had to try. It was Sasuke, after all.

"Hn." Sasuke drew his sword as Naruto neared and quirked an eyebrow at the blond's audacity. Was the idiot serious? Now, of all times, he wanted to talk?

Still fluent in 'Uchihanese' after all these years, Naruto took that particular utterance to mean 'why'? Clearing his throat, he spoke softly, eyes locked on the sword's razor sharp edge, "Because I have a right to some answers, Sasuke."

Like a direct and swift blow to the ribs, Sasuke snapped out a response. "I owe you nothing," he hissed. His eyes shifted to the Sharingan in the sudden wake of his anger.

"Check again, Sasuke," Naruto bit out, attempting to keep his temper in check. Sasuke had no right to deny him, not after everything he'd done. "Look, you have two options here: you can tell me now, or I can simply beat it out of you later."

"Tch," Sasuke snorted, dismissing the blond's claims. He was confident that he was more than capable of handling whatever the dobe dished out. Everything was going to go according to plan—he would accept no less.

Naruto took a breath and reminded himself to be patient. Sasuke had a way of riling him up with only a few words; it was nice to see that he hadn't lost his touch. Calmly and politely, he continued, "Would it really be that hard to answer some simple questions?"

"Hn. Stop wasting my time, dobe."

"Why are you in such a rush to fight?" Naruto retorted. Sasuke merely grunted in reply, obviously unwilling to give Naruto what he wanted.

Naruto growled in frustration, deciding he'd had enough of the Uchiha's superiority complex. He smiled dangerously and, flashing his teeth in a manner eerily similar to that of Kyuubi, Naruto dropped his bomb.

"Cut the bullshit," he barked, his grin hidden behind false anger. "Stop being a coward for once and man up, Sasuke! Give me the truth. For the number of times I have covered your ass with the elders this past year, you _owe_ me."

He watched for Sasuke's reaction as his words sunk in. Ah, just as he had expected.

"Dobe…" Sasuke snarled, jaw clenched and Sharingan spinning out of control.

Pleased that his words were having an impact, Naruto proceeded with his questioning. He could not allow his past bonds to interfere with his duty. "You were in Konoha last Friday," he prompted.

"Hn."

Surprised that the Uchiha had even deigned to vocalize a response, Naruto took it as a positive sign and continued. Lowering his voice, Naruto elaborated on his previous statement. "At approximately three in the morning, you were seen leaving the hospital by several ANBU."

Naruto held his breath and waited to see if he would get a second acknowledgment. When no such thing occurred, he decided to cut straight to the point. "Why were you there?" he asked, his gaze heavy and measuring. He had a small moment of triumph when Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan and drew his arms up to cross them over his chest—a defensive position. This was certainly looking promising; he might even get an answer beyond a grunt this time.

"You were after something. More specifically, you were after a scroll," Naruto drawled, feeling quite confident now. "It was Sakura, in fact, that figured out which _specific_ scroll."

The black-haired man scoffed at the mention of Sakura, but otherwise, maintained his façade of indifference.

Feeling that the time was right, Naruto pulled out the big guns with his last question.

"Why were you after Chiyo's resurrection jutsu, Sasuke? Who do you plan to bring back?" Naruto tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing as he pretended to slide into thought. Name after name slid from his lips. "Madara? No, you killed him, so I wouldn't think so.

"Your old sensei, maybe? Nah, you killed him, too, so that doesn't make sense." Naruto stroked his chin in false deliberation. "Ah, I know," he declared, snapping his fingers. "You want to bring back Kabuto, then! I bet it's for his stimulating company, yes?"

Risking a glance from the corner of his eyes, Naruto had to hide smirk when he saw that Sasuke had turned away. But his smirk slowly faded as he realized what his next suggestion was going to have to be. This question was going to be the last one that he needed to ask–it would be the final button that he would push to send Sasuke over the edge, a guaranteed start of the fight both of them had been expecting from the very beginning.

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as his nerves started to kick in. He tried to phrase the question as delicately as possible, but he saw no way other than to ask it outright: "Sasuke, are you trying to bring Itachi back?" His was voice soft—almost sympathetic.

There—he had said it; it was out in the open.

As soon as the words had left his mouth a heavy silence had filled the air.

Sasuke's head whipped around to face Naruto, his eyes blazing and his breathing laboured. How _dare_ the dobe even _mention_ Itachi's name! More than anger, there was annoyance. How was the Dobe able to see his intentions so easily, so clearly? Where had he messed up? His thoughts didn't linger upon those questions for long, as a red haze of rage was already starting to cloud his mind.

Both of the men slid into their battle stances. At that moment, nothing existed but each other—their opponent—and this fight. The air thrummed with restrained power and their veins were flooded with adrenaline.

This was it. Years of effort and anticipation boiled down to this one moment.

The battle began.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you systatcism 3_

_Paralysed Kings_

**:Chapter Two:**

**:**

"You're coming home today! Whether you like it or not, one way or another!" Naruto called out, barely audible to himself across the now scorched clearing. His eyes narrowed as he realized that his words fell upon deaf ears, but he was sure that the intent of his message was apparent. Not wanting to waste a single second, he began the formation of his next jutsu – the one that would hopefully end this stupid battle. If the Uchiha could just see sense and realize that is was going to be in his best interest to surrender.

Sasuke did not have to hear or know what Naruto was attempting to express. When it came to the Dobe, things would never change. A characteristic that was serving to be simultaneously beneficial and a disadvantage during this battle. A positive Sasuke knew most of his signature moves, the downside the damn inability of the Dobe to simply give up. But he knew that wasn't going to happen, so he had to think fast.

Thus sealing the deal for the Uchiha. As Naruto charged at him with the ever bright ball of swirling blue chakra, Sasuke once more dodged and watched the Dobe collide into a tree. Not even waiting for his jutsu to finish Naruto swirled back around and came towards Sasuke at top speed, ready to aim a high taijutsu kick to his head, when at the last minute Sasuke ducked.

Pivoting on the balls of his feet, to come up behind Naruto and before the blonde could turn to land a punch, Sasuke was already flying through the hand seals for his master piece jutsu. Completing the last seal he slammed his hand on to Naruto's lower back and poured the dark chakra into him.

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw Teme duck. Sensing the Uchiha behind him he prepared to land another hit but didn't make it. A pain ripped through his lower back. Squeezing his eyes shut he stood immobile as the jutsu ensured that he was locked in place. Electricity shot through him, melting his veins. Spreading to his own chakra coils it did the impossible, overwhelmed the additional chakra drawn by the Kyuubi to fight it off. It was tearing him up from the inside out. Opening his mouth in a silent scream, tears poured from his eyes, as the pain now reached a whole new level. It was hot, far too hot as just under the layers of his skin there was a fire. He was freely crying out in pain now. All burning and consumed by the fires of hell.

Ignoring the cries of the Jinchuriki and his own pain from chakra burns that were beginning to form upon the palms of his hands, Sasuke continued. Pouring the vestiges of his chakra into the jutsu. He could feel it working through Naruto's body. He grunted with exertion as it finally reached it's target spot. The end of the spinal cord… and with a lovely crack and sizzle the jutsu came to an abrupt ending. Huffing with the effort as he finished, Sasuke didn't notice the blonde collapse forwards, no longer able to support the weight of himself.

Sasuke panted as he himself sank down next to his team mate. His arms shook with exhaustion; he could barely raise them to wipe away the sweat on his face let alone push back the hair that had fallen into his eyes. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke begun to recall what he could of his chakra. Like snakes the sinister black chakra retreated back to its master. As it passed through his skin it felt like someone has incorrectly inserted an acupuncture needle. Eventually he was able to gain control over his breathing once more. Blinking he looked down at Naruto and shuffled himself closer.

He scowled as tatters of cloth blocked the view of his handiwork. Brushing the strips of steaming cloth away he couldn't stop the satisfied smirk crossing his face at what he saw. Blood oozed from looked like a fresh branding of a seal; inhibiting the ability to read some of the finer kanji, but Sasuke was certain it was all there. Looking down at the dobe's back he couldn't help but muse that even as a Kage - the Dobe - wasn't invincible, as he had just proven. As his pride surged up, taking in the details of his jutsu and noting on where he could make further improvements. Yes, things were going exactly according to plan.

Naruto, who was inhaling dirt though his silent cries, was more scared then ever at the moment. The pain was there more than ever, but whatever Sasuke had done to him, the Kyuubi was unable to heal it. As much chakra as the nine-tailed fox poured down his body and as much as Naruto willed and prayed for it to heal, nothing would work. Panicking slightly, he just had to wait and ride out the pain, to see what the damn teme would do to him next.

**: :**

Sasuke's head snapped up. With the Sharingan activated he saw and sensed from a distance, foreign but powerful chakra signatures approaching rapidly. He sighed deeply and frowned. ANBU. He sneered and rose from next to Naruto. Dusting his hands off nonchalantly, he cast a quick careless glance over his shoulder to the blonde that still lied on the ground in a crumpled pathetic lump. Snorting at how the idiot had ever become a Hokage, Sasuke slowly walked out of the clearing and away from the devastation that he caused, as if he were taking a casual Sunday stroll. He smirked at the sound of crashing branches and snapping twigs as he heard the inevitable approach of the Konoha ANBU, chasing after him.

He channelled what remained off his chakra to his feet and finally set of with some speed. Just let them try and catch him.

The ANBU that were not chasing after the Uchiha dashed around the outskirts of the clearing. Searching relentlessly for their Hokage. Eyes and ears peeled, chakra detecting on high, but they were simply not picking anything up. Until the squad captain actually broke into the clearing. Upon seeing the damage and factoring in the retreating Uchiha, there was no doubt that the Hokage was in here amongst the damage.

"Here," he called back to the rest of the squad, relief leaking through to his face, which was not visible anyway.

As soon as he felt them behind him, he turned around to face six porcelain masks of varying animals. He knew that the troop was tired. It had been a full run trying to keep up with their Kage, and now that they had finally reached him, there still would be no time to relax. It was crucial now that they found the Hokage. Because this sickening feeling in his stomach was telling that every second was going to count. Attempting to keep the panic hidden in his voice, he began to issue out orders.

"You and you." He pointed to the two standing closest to him on the left. "Scan out the north side of the clearing and then head south." Without any further prompting they set out. Turning to his remaining troop he simply looked at them and wondered what they were still doing there.

"Go," he hissed. He hmphed as they scurried away. Before turning back around to face the field himself.

Stepping into the clearing he worked his way through the tall grass, scanning all that he could. He stopped when he came to a particularly burnt section. Noting the tell tale signed of a misaimed Rasengan. Taking a few steps closer he paused as he heard what he thought was whispering. Looking behind his shoulder to check it wasn't a cadet reporting back to him, he took another step closer and it got louder.

He knew that voice. It was the Hokage. Hope flaring up, he begun to spin wilding trying to locate him. "Hokage-sama! Where are you?"

"Ngghhh," came a broken moan to the left of the squad captain. Scooting down he dashed over and low and behold there was the Hokage, lying face down in dirt and surrounded in blood. His eyes widened in horror; why was the Hokage not already healing? Something had to be extremely wrong.

"Sir?" he called out softly, his gaze missing the seal on the Hokage's back. His eyes were focused instead on the steady flow of blood from a particularly nasty stab wound to Naruto's side. He reached out to gently stem the bloodloss by pressing a clean cloth to the injured Kage's side, but flinched back when Naruto cried out in pained shock.

"Sir, please," he begged, "calm down."

"Help me," Naruto managed to hiss, tears leaking from his scrunched up eyes. "Make it stop—please." His cheeks were streaked with blood and dirt.

The squad captain hated seeing his Kage like this, but he had little time to think on that as his attention was drawn to Naruto's inability to move his arms-or any other part of his body. His eyes widened at the thought. Poison? It wasthe most likely cause of Naruto's agony and sudden paralysis.

He jumped up, eager to make up for lost time. "The Hokage is here!" He shouted to his team, "Get a medic up here with a stretcher _now_!"

The medic and the stretcher couldn't arrive soon enough. When they finally did arrive, the Hokage had once again begun to grunt in pain. In between his scrabbled thoughts, he was able to detect the presences of others surrounding him. Reigning in the pain, Naruto tried to let them know it wasn't that bad. Instead, incoherent babbles slipped past Naruto's bloodied lips—quiet reassurances—a definite sign that they needed to get moving—and quickly. Because the Hokage was certainly becoming delirious.

They moved him onto the stretcher as delicately as possible and set off towards Konoha at a fast and desperate pace. Amongst the blur or trees and loss of blood, the Hokage eventually lost consciousness, sinking into a world of oblivion, allowing the seal to continue to spread throughout his body, leaving devastation in its wake.

The ANBU squad was none the wiser to what torture laid in store for their beloved Hokage.


End file.
